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Legal IT

Legal technology predictions for 2025

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At the end of the year and the beginning of a new one, many publications give their predictions for the new year. In this article, we will go over a selection of legal technology predictions for 2025. We can group them in four categories: legal technology predictions that do not involve AI, predictions on legal issues involving AI, predictions on AI in legal services, and finally, some other legal technology predictions on AI.

Legal technology predictions that do not involve AI

While most of the authors focus on the growing impact of AI, there also are legal technology predictions that do not involve it.

A first set of predictions has to do with client demands. Authors anticipate a significant further proliferation of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and smart contracts. This will result in a growing demand for lawyers who are versed in these matters. Experts also predict that clients’ expectations will keep on rising, and that law firms will have to adapt to that demand. Already, the legal industry is witnessing a shift towards more client-centric services. Overall, experts also predict a growing demand for legal services for SMBs.

A second set of predictions has to do with the investments law firms will be making. Experts predict an overall increase in investments in technology, and more specifically, apart from AI, increases in spending on knowledge management and on cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity remains a critical concern for law firms, especially with the growing reliance on digital tools and AI. The sector is expected to invest more in cyber resilience strategies to counter potential threats, ensuring the protection of sensitive legal data and maintaining client trust. General counsels and Chief Legal Officer need to up their game when it comes to cybersecurity.

Finally, experts expect the billable hour to further decline, and fixed fees and subscription billing to increase.

Predictions on legal issues involving AI

Several authors also focus on legal issues involving AI. On the one hand, there is the topic of regulating AI, and on the other hand, there is the topic of litigation.

Both the EU and the Council of Europe (CoE) published their frameworks on regulating AI. Unlike the EU AI Act, the Council of Europe’s Treaty is open to all countries who want to sign up. More sign-ups are expected. When it comes to the US, the situation is unclear, as the incoming Trump administration may withdraw from the CoE Treaty. Most experts do not expect the Trump administration to impose its own framework. Several authors do see initiatives on both a state level and on the level of local bar associations. The latter may impose ethical rules regarding the use of AI in law firms, especially when it comes to lawyers using generative AI.

There also is an anticipated increase in litigation related to AI tools and practices. One of the areas where experts predict more litigation involves the disputes over unauthorized use of copyrighted materials for AI training. They also expect an increase of product liability lawsuits involving AI-systems. And an increase in litigation is also anticipated when it comes to AI-induced biases in processes like job screening, and potential antitrust violations stemming from AI-driven pricing tools.

Predictions on AI in legal services

Most of the predictions, however, focus on how Artificial Intelligence will impact the delivery of legal services. And the topic that is most talked about is the introduction of AI agents in the delivery of legal service. Some call it the most important evolution for 2025.

So, what are we talking about? An AI agent is a software program designed to operate independently, perceiving its environment, analysing information, and taking actions to achieve specific goals. It gathers data through sensors or input systems, processes this data using logic or machine learning models, and performs tasks or interacts with its surroundings based on its objectives. These agents are widely used in applications such as virtual assistants, self-driving cars, and automated decision-making systems, allowing them to function without constant human intervention. So, you can think of them as the next generation, more advanced and more versatile bots. And in 2025, they’re expected to have a huge impact on the delivery of legal services and on the way that law firms and legal departments operate. We will discuss AI agents more in depth in a follow-up article.

AI is also become more integrated in all aspects of the delivery of legal services, from optimizing and automating workflows, enhancing knowledge management, and handling specific tasks autonomously. Most experts anticipate that all cloud-based software for lawyers and law firms will be integrating more AI into their systems. Overall, authors also predict that generative AI will become better and more specialized in specific legal areas.

Several authors talk about how artificial intelligence is already leading to a sharp increase in productizing legal services. This applies to law firms, legal departments, but also to alternative legal service providers. Some expect hybrid lawyers and/or self-service legal platforms to become as ubiquitous as online banking. Some even anticipate that more and more lawyers will start collaborating with robot lawyers. And for the first time, some even predict that within 5 years, the combination of the advances in AI and breakthroughs in quantum computing will start replacing entry level lawyers.

Other legal technology predictions on AI

Some experts also made some other legal technology predictions on AI. They are optimistic that Generative AI will improve access to justice, and that we will see courts who will start using Generative AI, as well to become more effective.  They also expect a consolidation movement in the market of legal technology service providers. Finally, some expect that Legal AI and Generative AI will become part of law school curriculum.

 

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Legal IT

Has the metaverse failed?

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In November 2021, we did an article on what lawyers needed to know about the metaverse. Since then, the buzz around the metaverse has largely died. In this article, we start off with an overview of some of the predictions and expectations. Then we do a reality check. Next, we look in extenso at possible reasons why the metaverse failed. We conclude with some observations on how to move forward with a new vision of an immersive future.

Predictions and expectations

The concept of the metaverse really started drawing attention when Facebook Inc. changed its name to Meta in October 2021. The metaverse was seen as the inevitable evolution of the internet—a virtual space where the physical limitations of the real world did not apply. Proponents envisioned a realm where digital avatars would seamlessly transition between experiences, carrying their identities and assets with them. This digital utopia was expected to revolutionize how we interact with technology and each other, by offering unparalleled opportunities for connectivity and commerce.

Quite a few companies established a presence in the metaverse. Architects started designing virtual buildings, and real estate developers started developing and selling virtual real estate. There was talk of virtual cities, etc. The metaverse was predicted to be the big next thing, and its proponents urged everyone to get on board.

Reality Check

The reality of the metaverse, however, has been far less impressive. The metaverse has failed to live up to the excessive hype that built up in 2021 and early 2022, leading to a “metaverse winter” in 2023. This was mainly due to cooling interest, economic obstacles, and the immaturity of the required technologies. Despite the grand vision, the metaverse has faced significant challenges that have hindered its widespread adoption and development. We will have a closer look at those reasons below.

Financially, the metaverse has seen significant investment, with over $120 billion flowing into the sector in 2022 alone. McKinsey research had suggested that the metaverse could generate up to $5 trillion in value by 2030. However, these figures contrast with the current user experience, which clearly falls short of those expectations. The costs associated with developing metaverse platforms and the technological limitations have led to a gap between the envisioned economic boom and the actual value delivered to users. The metaverse has also been criticized for being a hype-fuelled fad, appealing mainly to gamers and celebrities, rather than the public at large.

By now, “peak metaverse is firmly in our rearview mirror. According to Google Trends, Facebook’s announcement of rebranding to Meta on October 21, 2021, was the catalyst for the upward trend in metaverse. Four short months later, we hit peak metaverse.” (Brian Christner). In other words, the hype lasted for four months only. “Far from being worth trillions of dollars, the metaverse turned out to be worth absolutely bupkus. It’s not even that the platform lagged behind expectations or was slow to become popular. There wasn’t anyone visiting the metaverse at all. The sheer scale of the hype inflation came to light in May [2023]. In the same article, Insider revealed that Decentraland, arguably the largest and most relevant metaverse platform, had only 38 active daily users.” (Brian Christner). Decentraland had invested 1,3 billion US dollars in the metaverse.

Reasons why the metaverse failed

Despite significant investments and extensive hype, the metaverse has faced numerous challenges that have hindered its widespread adoption and success. One of the main issues was – and is – the lack of a unified definition or understanding of what the metaverse actually is. While some early adopters can describe it clearly, many people still struggle to grasp its concept and purpose. Moreover, the technological infrastructure required to support a fully-realized metaverse is still in its infancy. Issues such as interoperability between platforms, user privacy, and the economic model are yet to be resolved.

Let us have a closer look at the reasons why the metaverse has failed thus far. The authors of the articles listed at the end of this article mention the following reasons for the metaverse’s shortcomings.

Overhyped and unmet expectations: the initial excitement surrounding the metaverse was immense, with many envisioning a revolutionary digital landscape. The bold promises from people like Zuckerberg set a high bar that current technology and market readiness could not meet. Many initiatives fell victim to massively inflated expectations, leading to expensive failures and a general sense of disillusionment. This decline in enthusiasm has been a significant factor in the metaverse’s inability to meet expectations. The metaverse’s close association with cryptocurrencies and NFTs, which have also faced their own set of challenges, further compounded these issues.

Immature technologies and tech limitations: the development of the metaverse relies heavily on technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). However, these technologies are still immature and have not reached the level of sophistication required for a seamless metaverse experience. The lag in VR headset adoption, for instance, has been a significant barrier to the metaverse’s growth.

Bad user experience: the abovementioned technical difficulties also resulted in a subpar user experience. Early iterations of the retail metaverse, for example, were plagued by technical glitches and clunky interfaces. These issues have made it difficult for users to fully immerse themselves in the metaverse, leading to disappointment and frustration. Add to that, that many people think Zuckerberg’s version of the metaverse is goofy, with characters that look like Nintendo Wii characters. (“You want me to wear this uncomfortable headset to be able to see myself as a badly drawn cartoon character?”)

Limited User Engagement: because of the bad user experience, user engagement has been minimal. We mentioned the example above of Decentraland, which is one of the largest and most relevant metaverse platforms, only having 38 active daily users at one point. This stark reality highlights the gap between the envisioned metaverse and the actual user adoption and engagement.

High cost of entry: the metaverse may be too expensive for some people to access. You need a VR headset, a fast computer, an up to par broadband connection, etc. Add to that, that most platforms based on blockchain — like The Sandbox and Decentraland — require the exchange of cryptocurrency for full functionality.

Privacy and safety concerns: the metaverse raises significant privacy and safety concerns that have yet to be adequately addressed. The amount and type of data created and collected through metaverse technologies result in major privacy challenges. Ensuring the safety of users, particularly children, in these virtual environments is a complex issue that requires new approaches and regulations. And then there’s the cybercrime aspect: criminals could use voice recordings from metaverse platforms against someone, or behavioural data could be mismanaged and sold to interested parties.

Economic and ROI Challenges: from an economic perspective, the metaverse has struggled to demonstrate positive returns on investment (ROI). Meta’s Reality Labs, for example, recorded a loss of $3.73 billion in one quarter alone in 2023. Retail metaverse initiatives have also largely failed to deliver truly unique, must-have shopping experiences. This makes it difficult to justify the high costs associated with developing and maintaining these platforms.

Shifting Focus to AI: finally, there is the impact of AI. Even companies that heavily invested in the metaverse are now shifting their focus to other technologies. Meta, for instance, has turned its attention away from the metaverse to AI, which is seen as the next big thing. This shift indicates a broader industry trend away from the metaverse as a primary focus.

Moving forward with a new vision of an immersive future

In summary, the metaverse’s journey has been fraught with challenges, from technical and user experience issues to economic and privacy concerns. However, by tempering expectations and adopting a more realistic and focused approach, there is still hope for the metaverse to find its place in the digital landscape. Several authors believe there still is potential for its future development. A more modest, grounded, and niche-driven approach may be the key to its next chapter. Lighter-weight, frictionless AR shopping interfaces accessible from smartphones, for example, could sidestep VR’s adoption barriers and provide more practical applications.

The journey of the metaverse probably is not over yet, and with all the investments that have been made, it is likely that it will continue to evolve. The key to its success lies in addressing the current shortcomings and aligning expectations with reality. As the technology matures and more people become familiar with the concept, the metaverse may yet find its place as a significant part of our digital lives. It will require patience, innovation, and a clear vision to bridge the gap between what was promised and what can be realistically achieved.

 

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Legal IT

Legal Technology Predictions for 2023

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Towards the end of every calendar year, the American Bar Association publishes the results of its annual legal technology survey. Several legal service providers, experts, and reporters, too, analyse existing trends and subsequently make their own legal technology predictions for 2023. Some items stand out that most pay attention to. In this article, we will look at automation, artificial intelligence, cloud-native solutions, virtual legal assistants, data privacy and cybersecurity, crypto technologies, blockchain, and smart contracts. We will briefly pay attention to some other trends, as well.

Automation

Automation keeps being a major driver of change in many industries. The legal sector is no exception, even though it lags compared to many other sectors. Lawyers seem to take longer to catch up that automation is beneficial. It is making many processes in the legal industry faster, more efficient, and less expensive. Automation has proven to be successful in fields like legal research, e-discovery and document review and management. In 2023, we can expect to see this trend continue, with a renewed focus on automating the law firm administration and on the creation and review of legal documents. Automated workflows can be used to streamline legal processes, such as litigation support, e-discovery, and case management. Automation can also assist in organizing and tracking progress and regulatory changes, data collection, reporting, and communication. An increase in automation will help to improve the accuracy of legal processes, reducing the risk of errors, and increasing efficiency.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is becoming ubiquitous. In many aspects of our lives, there now are AI solutions available that make life easier. In the legal sector, too, AI is starting to make waves. In all the above-mentioned examples of automation, AI is playing a crucial role. As mentioned above, AI has already been successfully assisting lawyers with legal research, with process and workflow automation, with the generation of legal documents, as well as with e-discovery. But those are still fairly simple applications of AI. It can do far more. These days, AI is also being used to digest vast volumes of text and voice conversations, identify patterns, or carry out impressive feats of predictive modelling. The virtual legal assistants that we’ll discuss below, too, are all AI applications. If properly used, AI can save law firms much time and money. In 2023, we can expect to see a more widespread adoption of AI in the legal sector. (More on Artificial Intelligence and the Law).

Cloud-Native Solutions

Cloud computing has been a game-changer for many industries. Previous reports had already revealed that lawyers, too, are more and more relying on cloud solutions. This should not come as a surprise, as Cloud-based solutions provide many benefits, including reduced costs, increased scalability, and improved data security. They help lawyers and clients share files and data across disparate platforms rather than relying solely on emails. Additionally, cloud-based solutions are more accessible, allowing legal firms to work from anywhere and collaborate more effectively with clients and other stakeholders. In 2023, we can expect this trend to continue. (In the past, we have published articles on cloud solutions for lawyers, on managing your law firm in the cloud, an on lawyers in the cloud).

Virtual Legal Assistants (VLAs)

In the past, we have talked on several occasions about legal chatbots. Chatbots have sufficiently matured to now start playing the role of virtual legal assistants. VLAs are AI-powered chatbots that build on basic neural network computing models to harness the power of deep learning. They use artificial intelligence algorithms to assist law firms with various tasks. Gartner predicts VLAs can answer one-quarter of internal requests made to legal departments. They extend the operational capacity of law firms as well as of in-house corporate legal teams. As a result, they assist in reducing lawyers’ average response time and producing distinct service delivery efficiencies. Furthermore, as VLAs are a form of automation, all the benefits of automation apply here too: virtual legal assistants can help to improve the accuracy of legal work, reduce the risk of errors and increase efficiency. At present, virtual legal assistants are still primarily being used in uncomplicated and repetitive operations. Recent breakthroughs, however, indicate that they are already able to take on more complex tasks and will continue to do so.

Data Privacy and Cybersecurity

Ever since the GDPR, data privacy and cybersecurity have become increasingly important. In 2023, we can expect to see an ongoing emphasis on data privacy and as well as an increase in attention to cybersecurity in the legal sector. (The examples of high-profile Big Tech corporations receiving massive fines seem to be a good incentive). Law firms have understood that they too need to make sure that they have robust data privacy and cybersecurity measures in place to protect their clients’ confidential information. Several law firms also provide their clients assistance with the legal aspects of data protection.

Crypto technologies, Blockchain, and smart contracts

The market of cryptocurrencies was volatile in 2022. That did not stop an increase in interest in the underlying crypto technologies. Experts predict rises in a) regulation of cryptocurrencies and crypto technologies, in b) the adoption of cryptocurrency, c) a growing interest in decentralized finance (DeFi), and d) an increase in attempts at cryptocurrency taxation. We are already witnessing an intensification in litigation with regard to cryptocurrency and crypto technologies. This trend is expected to continue. Litigation about NFTs, e.g., is one of the areas where litigation is expected to rapidly increase.

Experts also expect an ongoing interest in and an increased adoption of Blockchain technology. Blockchain can be used to securely store and manage legal data, reducing the risk of data breaches and ensuring the integrity of legal records. Additionally, blockchain can be used to automate many legal processes, such as contract management and dispute resolution, by enabling the creation of smart contracts. As we mentioned in previous articles, smart contracts can streamline many legal processes, reducing the time and cost associated with contract management and dispute resolution. They can also help to increase the transparency and accountability of legal transactions, reducing the risk of fraud and improving the overall efficiency of legal processes.

Other Trends

The ABA survey report noticed that law firms are spending more money on legal technology than ever before. In many cases, this involved investing more in tightening cybersecurity.

The trend to work remotely and to use video conferencing for virtual meetings that started during the pandemic is ongoing.

More than ever before lawyers pay attention to their own work experience, as well as to the user experience for their clients by making their law firms more client centred. There is an ongoing focus on work-life balance, not only for the lawyers but also for the employees of law firms. Law firms are finally starting to consider things like employee satisfaction.

While billable hours remain the most used fee model, there has been a noticeable increase in lawyers using a subscription fee model.

Finally, the trend that law firms are increasingly hiring people with hybrid profiles is continuing. By increasing cognitive diversity, law firms want to close the gap between professionals with knowledge of legal matters and those with enough legal tech expertise to manage the digitization and automation of workflows. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2023, one third of corporate legal departments will have a legal tech expert in charge of managing the digital transformation and automation of internal processes. Large law firms are also increasingly hiring lawyers that are familiar with business administration.

 

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Legal IT

Legal Tech Predictions for 2020

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In two previous articles, we paid attention to the legal technology trends of 2019. Most of those are expected to continue in 2020. Apart from those, several authors made their own predictions, too, for what legal technology will bring in 2020. We’ll summarize the most interesting and important ones below.

Now, when looking at all the predictions, three items stand out. The first one is the omnipresence of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Whether we’re talking about legal service delivery (to lawyers as well as legal consumers), marketing, cybersecurity, eDiscovery, etc., there is no escaping AI. Secondly, the general mantra for 2020 seems to be ‘automate, automate, automate’. And thirdly, the cloud, too, becomes more and more omnipresent.

Market: The judiciary finally boards the train of legal tech and automation. Authors predict an increase is online courts, in courts using case management software, and in using legal analytics to speed up decision making.

When it comes to the service providers on the legal market, experts expect some cross-industry mashups, where players from other markets (e.g. accounting, analytics & data mining) join forces with legal service providers.

The trend where law firms are being run like business continues, with law firms hiring more people who have joint business and law degrees.

Law Firm Management Software: authors expect the trend of focusing on process automation to increase efficiency to continue, which will allow law firms to scale their services. Many predict that law firms will finally start becoming more client-centred, with a heavy focus on improving the client experience, and on client collaboration through improved client portals.

Cloud: as mentioned before, the usage of the cloud in the legal market is expecting to keep on rising. When it comes to lawyers using the cloud, security will remain a main challenge. The good news is that many predictions see the clouds getting connected, i.e. they predict that the interoperability between the different cloud platforms will increase. Experts also see a rise in edge computing, and an accelerated adoption of PaaS (Platform as a Service).

(Google Maps is a good example to explain what edge computing is. Google uses servers all over the world. When you use Google Maps in your area, you’re presented with a local copy of the information that is stored on a server near to you. Edge computing means that the information storage and the computation power are distributed to bring them closer to where they are needed. PaaS: the Wikipedia defines it as “a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app.”)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that most predictions have to do with Artificial Intelligence. In general, the experts expect advances in NLP (Natural Language Processing), conversational AI (chatbots), Computer Vision, and Reinforcement Learning (a type of Machine Learning). More specific for the legal market, most authors talk about how the work of lawyers changes as AI and automation will take over certain tasks lawyers and paralegals were performing until now, and how this will increase the efficiency of law firms. The increased usage of AI is also expected to have an impact on compliance, research, due diligence, and legal documentation (creation, analysis and review of legal documents).

Apart from that, there are also more specific predictions. Law firms are expected to start using more data-driven legal marketing, predictive legal analytics, and Virtual Assistants. AI is also expected to start contributing to finding new legal solutions.

Most of the predictions about Security are rather dire. All experts warn about deepfakes and that there will be a considerable increase in incidents of security breaches, both on-premise and in the cloud. Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used by both cybercriminals and by those fighting cybercrime.

eDiscovery: the experts see three trends and three challenges. The trends are a) that eDiscovery continues its move to the cloud; b) that the line between e-discovery and information governance will continue to blur; and c) the continued increase of AI usage. A first challenge has to do with the tension between eDiscovery and privacy legislation with regard to analytics. A second challenge lies in the increase of atypical data sources like ephemeral messaging, IoT device data, collaboration tools and app-based information. A third challenge is how to deal with an increase in deepfakes and fabricated evidence.

When it comes to Blockchain, the experts don’t agree. Some point at the fact that thus far, there has been far more hype than actual results. Most of them, however, are expecting an increase in real-life applications in the legal market. At the same time, they also expect more cases of Blockchain fraud and litigation.

 

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Legal IT

Legal Technology Predictions for 2019

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The beginning of a new year is traditionally a time when the experts make their predictions for the year to come. The field of legal technology is no exception. Most of the predictions focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain and security, but there also are predictions with regard to the legal market in general, the cloud, and eDiscovery. Let’s have a closer look.

Legal Market

The American Bar Association’s 2018 Legal Technology Report revealed that in 2018 fewer law firms invested in legal technology than in 2017. Because of this, experts expect a stagnation in the amount of law firms who are investing in legal technology. The amount of money being invested by law firms still is increasing, as is the amount of money being invested by legal technology solution providers. The legal technology market itself is therefore expected to keep on expanding.

Experts do not anticipate significant changes in the software and services that the lawyers are using, nor in how law firms are charging their clients. The market of Alternative Legal Services Providers (ALSPs) will keep on growing, and some of these Alternative Legal Services Providers will come into their own as major players.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

IBM predicts three major breakthroughs in the field of AI which will lead enterprises to increasingly advance, scale, and trust artificial intelligence. These three breakthroughs are:

  1. Causality will increasingly replace correlations: at present Machine Learning algorithms discovers patterns, i.e. correlations, but the nature of those correlations still hasn’t been qualified. The breakthrough will consist in qualifying those correlations and determine what is cause and effect.
  2. Trusted AI will take centre stage: methodologies are being developed for a better cooperation between humans and AI, where humans can trust the output generated by AI systems.
  3. Quantum computing could give AI an assist: technologies like Deep Learning require serious computing power. Quantum computing has the potential to dramatically increase computing power.

The experts that Forbes Magazine consulted make five predictions:

  1. AI increasingly becomes a matter of international politics
  2. A Move Towards “Transparent AI” (i.e. where AI systems can reveal how they draw their conclusions. This ties in with the concept of “trusted AI”, mentioned above).
  3. AI and automation are drilling deeper into every business
  4. More jobs will be created by AI than will be lost to it.
  5. AI assistants will become truly useful

In a separate article, other experts predict a rise in applications that combine video, voice and AI to improve human interactions, sales, customer service, and meetings.

More specific to the field of Legal AI, experts predict an increase in smart contracts, as well as an increased use of blockchain based solutions. Law firms are becoming smarter in what technologies to use, which leads to a higher adoption of legal AI: AI will augment existing solutions. AI is also expected to play a more important role in the design of legal software and its interfaces. One expert predicts that the increased usage of AI will lead to lower fees, thus facilitating access to justice. One of the fields that is expected to grow is legal analytics (including judicial analytics). As a result of this the roles of Chief Analytics Officer (CAO) or Chief Data Officer (CDO) will become more prevalent in law firms.

Cybersecurity

A lot of the predictions have to do with cybersecurity. Law firms have a lot of valuable data and are prime targets for cybercriminals.

One of the world’s foremost experts in building AI systems to detect malware points out that cybercriminals have started using what he calls “offensive AI”, i.e. AI systems that are specifically designed to attack computer systems. As a result, malware, e.g., gets smarter and better at evading protection against it. In turn, cybersecurity companies are increasingly using AI as well to ward off cyberattacks and to detect those technologies that are aimed at evading protection.

All experts anticipate cybercrime will rise in 2019. They expect increases in:

  • Data breaches and data leaks, with an emphasis on the latter
  • Browser crypto-mining, or crypto-jacking, i.e. where your browser is hijacked to mine cryptocurrencies
  • Web skimmers: just like you have hardware to illegally clone credit cards, web skimmers use websites to illegally get your credit card details
  • Expert specifically expect an increase in botnets that use “Internet of Things” devices
  • Dedicated Denial of Service (DDos) Attacks
  • Ransomware
  • Financial crime, i.e. cyberattacks on banks and other financial institutions
  • Email social engineering attacks, also known as BECs, or Business Email Compromises
  • Exploit kits, i.e. web-based applications that redirect users to malicious sites where they attempt to exploit a browser vulnerability to infect the user with malware.

Cloud servers, too, are in trouble in 2019. Cloud servers have slowly become the favourite target of cryptocurrency mining trojans.

As more and more hacking tools are becoming available, experts foresee an increase in underground communities of hackers and cybercriminals.

Malvertising will continue to gain sophistication in 2019.

Cloud

Over the last years, law firms have increasingly started using cloud technologies. That growth is expected to continue, as law firms have largely overcome their hesitance to use cloud-based solutions.

eDiscovery

The GDPR has had a great impact on legal eDiscovery. As more and more countries (and States within the US) are implementing similar legislation, experts believe we are reaching a tipping point for the protection of personal data privacy in legal discovery.

2019 will also see new ways to exploit the power of analytics across the entire e-discovery workflow. ‘Active learning’ will be used as a supplemental tool to support traditional reviews. And as eDiscovery requires data transfers to service providers, those transfers will increasingly become targets for hackers and cybercriminals.

We are also witnessing an increasingly globalized eDiscovery, and as a result there will be an increase in demand for translations.

Blockchain

In 2019, we will approach Blockchain more realistically. Many fantastic visions of 2017 and 2018 were a little ahead of schedule, and many projects have failed to deliver. With a more realistic approach, Blockchain will finally move past the hype into reality and Blockchain adoption is expected to spike across sectors, and to start converging with the Internet of Things (IoT).

Security experts anticipate that Blockchain will help prevent unauthorized access. They also see advancements in privacy-preserving techniques for blockchain: these techniques combined with blockchain can enable new decentralized applications that protect data while providing users with transparency and control over how data is used.

To address the issue of energy consumption costs, which are skyrocketing because of the computing power needed, in 2019 we will also see hardware-based acceleration of cryptographic techniques.

 

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Legal IT

Legal Tech Trends Predictions for 2018

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The beginning of a new calendar year traditionally is a time where the experts publish reviews of the year that has been, and make predictions for the year that is starting. Let us have a look at what 2017 brought to the field of legal technology, and at some predictions for 2018.

Review of 2017

Legal Tech News published a slide show on the three technologies that redefined legal technology in 2017. They are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

2017 saw an increase of AI in the legal workplace. It is being used already in contract management, eDiscovery, cybersecurity, and in legal research. And some major law firms started using AI legal assistants. Robot lawyers and legal chatbots, too, frequently made headlines. And when it comes to the legal aspects of using AI, a court ordered that there should be more transparency in to how AI systems reach their conclusions, and that the algorithms they use must be published.

Bitcoin often was in the news, too. Its underlying technology, Blockchain, however is not just important for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies but is already being used, e.g., for smart contracts that are made and executed automatically.

2017 also saw a growth of the Internet of Things, as more and more devices are being connected to the Internet. Not surprisingly, we also saw more lawyers embracing cloud technologies, with more than half of the US based lawyers making use of them.

When it comes to cybersecurity, the Internet has become a more dangerous place in 2017. There has been an increase in systems being hacked, in denial of services attacks, in malware and, notably, in occurrences of ransomware. What we’ve witnessed in 2017 was that IoT devices like webcams, printers, routers, etc. that are connected to the Internet, were being used in cyberattacks. As a rule, large law firms are targeted more often than smaller ones, and those law firms that operate in the cloud are typically the least affected by cybercrime.

In 2017, legal tech solution providers all focused on using technology to streamline law firm processes, be it eDiscovery or Law Firm Management, etc.

Finally, we also saw several courts going online.

Predictions for 2018

Virtually all authors agree that most of the trends of 2017 will continue in 2018.

One evolution we are already witnessing is in increase in the integration between the 3 technologies that dominated 2017. Cloud-based AI is being built into IoT devices, e.g. in the user interfaces, security, and data mining to make predictive suggestions. Smart and intelligent contracts are just one example of AI teaming up with Blockchain technology. We can expect to see a lot of progress on that front.

Many experts made predictions with regard to AI. They expect AI to become more practical and less visible. They also expect AI to become more ubiquitous. Better Natural Language Processing will lead to better and more intelligent user interfaces. We will also witness the integration of AI in web and mobile apps. The rise of machine learning and data mining solutions will continue. In 2018, we will also encounter far more legal and other chatbots. Overall, AI will have a pivotal role in communication and collaboration.

Experts also expect a shift in the way lawyers approach marketing. As they slowly become more familiar with cloud technologies and social media, lawyers are expected to start trying newer ways of marketing, to replace the more traditional approach. Client-centred communication becomes more important. And more lawyers will start using marketing automation software.

When it comes to software for law firms, authors predict a further automation of practice and workflow processes. The efficiencies in the delivery of legal services brought about by innovation and technology will only increase. In 2018, the implementation of “smart automation” will deliver the most immediate results to organizations.

As far as cybercrime and cybersecurity are concerned, the experts expect more of the same. We will see that the IoT will be used more often for criminal purposes, which will make the challenge to remain safe online tougher. The experts also predict that cybercriminals will start using more AI to be able to stage more sophisticated attacks. One alarming evolution is the increase in fake professional social media profiles that are being used by cybercriminals. Because of this increase in cyberthreats, more lawyers are expected to increase their cybersecurity budget in 2018. They are looking into securing their physical network, as well as their information. More lawyers will start using encryption in 2018.

Many experts also predict that more lawyers will start using more cloud-based solutions in 2018.

And we can expect more courts to go online.

 

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